US1439231A - Valve-operating device - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 19 1922.

A. F. ERICKSON VALVE OPERATING DEVICE. FILED SEPT. 15. 1920v INVENTOR ATTORNEY the toggle arms.

Patented. Dec. 119, 19 22.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR F. EBICKSON,

or ronTLANn, OREGON.

VALVE-OPERATING DEVICE.

Application filed September To all w/wm it may cozwem:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR F. ERICKSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve-Operating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devicesfor opening and closing valves in general, and particularly to such devices as are adapted for use with the valves upon gas mains or pipes in connection with gas heating furnaces and the like.

The object of my invention is to provide an electrically operated device that ,will open and close such a valve with that quick movement that is commercially known as snap action, and that" will hold said valve open or closed positively until further operation of the device: a further object of my invention is to eliminate all electric motors and other mechanical members of the system usually used for operating such valves, and to provide in one device means for opening and closing the valve with a snap action, and means for operating said opening and closing means in direct connection with and controlled by a thermostat.

I accomplish the above object by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which is a part of this application for Letters Patent, like characters of reference indicating like parts throughout the several views thereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevationof a valve and my, device mounted together, and wired to a thermostat. r

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary view of the plunger and valve rod, showing one method of connecting the same. In general my device consists of a pa1r of solenoids mounted adjacently and coaxially and having a common plunger, a

valve stem connected tosaid plunger and 3 extending into the valve to be operated, and means upon the valve stem for 1I1Sl1l1l1g positive opening and closing of the valve and also a snap action to the opening or closing operation.

The valve 5 illustrated is a well known 15, 1920. SeriaLNo. 410,522. 7

rectangular frame 7, the two solenoids 10" and "11 being coaxially mounted within a solenoid casing 12, whichv casing is suspended from the upper member of the frame 7, as shown in Fig." 1. Each solenoid is electrically independent of the other. although provided witha common plunger 13, said plunger being universally connected to a stem 14: by means of a ball and socket arrangement illustrated indetail in Fig. l. The stems 9 and 14 are articulately connected by means of pivotally connected links 15 and 16, to the intermediate pivotal point of said links there being connected oppositely disposed transversely extending arms 17, which arms form together a toggle system.

To provide a snap action said arms arefulcrumed upon springs 18 mounted upon. the side members of the frame 7, which springs press the ends of the arms 17 towards one another, and thus cause the toggle arms to assume their furthermost points of travel at. each end of their path of movement with HJLHCCQlGIZLlZBCl or snap action,

which action causesevery. sudden opening or closing of the valve 5. A. slow opening or closing of the valve 5 has been found to result in back firing throughthe valve 5, so thatthis snap action impartedto the valve by the toggle arms is an important function of my device,

To reduce friction of the moving parts to a minimum I provide a knife edge mounting of the arms 17 upon their respective springs 18, the ends of the springs restingin'V shaped notches int-he ends of the arms, as shown in Fig. 1, and illustrated in detail inFig. 3.

Suitable screws 19 are provided for ad:- justing the pressure of the springs 18 upon their respective arms 17.

An electrical contact 20 is mounted above one of the arms 17, and another electrical contact 21. is mounted beneath the other of said arms 17, as shown in Fig. 1, said contacts being each insulated from the device by means of insulation members 22 and 23 respectively. Each of the arms 17 is provided with pads 24 with which said contacts coact to complete, electrical circuits.

hereinafter described.

Suitable binding posts 25 and 26 are provided upon the frame, 7 and respectively.

connected with the binding posts 27 and 28 ot a thermostat 29 by wires 30'and 31 respectively, the third binding post of the thermostatbeing grounded by wire 32 as ing post 26- is connected With the winding.

of thesolenoid 11 by wire 35, and the oppo site end of said winding is connected to contact 20 by wire 36. The entire'device is grounded through the, pipe to which the valve 5 is connected. I

The operation of my device is as follows:

Let it be supposed thatthe temperature of the room in which the thermostat is located has raised to a point which. causes the blade of the thermostat to contact with the terminal upon binding post 27, thus completing an electrical circuit through the thermostat. The current from the battery now flows through the thermostat, wire 30, binding post 25, wire 33, solenoid winding 10, wire 34, contact 21, and through the members of the deviceto the ground, and thus back to the battery. This current energizes the solenoid 10 and thereby caused the plunger 13 to --rise therein, thus opening the valve 5 the opening being very quick due to the electrical action and also to the snap \actionot the toggle arms 1] after they have passed their central position, said-arms finallyassuming the position-shown in dotted lines in Fig.- 1, and one of said arms then coming into contact with'the contact 20. The toggle arms,having passed their central position, will cause the valve 5 to remain open indefinitely, until further action of the device closes the same.

When the temperature of the room' in.

l which the thermostat is located rises to a point that causes the blade thereof tov contact with the terminal located upon bindingpost 28 an electrical current'is caused to tact 20, and thus through. the device to the ground and back to'the battery. The solenoid 11 being thus energized causes the plunger to descend therein and to close the valve- 5, this closed position of all parts being shown in Fig. l, and the toggle arms having the same snap action as described with the opening of the valve.

1 It will be observed that the electric current operates only momentarily, as the instant it is set up at either binding post 27 or 28 of the thermostat it is broken at the corresponding contact21 or 20 respectively of my device, and it cannot be again established until the temperatureco-nditions within the room containing the thermostat have caused operation of the thermostat. lit will also be observed that the operations are alternative, that is when the valve 5 has been opened, the next operation is the closing of the same, and vice versa.

My device may be made of any size, and

constructed of any materials deemed con-,

venient. and. suitable for a device of this charuse the same, what I claim as new, and de- I sire to secure by Letters Patent is:

' .1. In a valve operating device, a pair of adjacently disposed axially mounted solenoids'; a plunger common to both of said solenoids; means to connect said plunger to the stem of said. valve; toggle arms con nected to said means; and yieldable fulcrums for said togglearms.

2. A valve; a valve stem; a fraine mounted upon said valve; toggle arms within said frame coacting with said valve stem; yieldable fulcrum mountings for said toggle arms; means to adjust said fulcrum mountings; solenoids mounted upon s'a d'frame; a solenoid plunger coactin w ith'- said toggle arms; and electrical .m'a efand breakicontacts coacting with said toggle arms.

In witness whereof I claim the foregoing as my own, I hereunto afiix my signature in the resence of two'witnesses, at Portland, county'of Multnomah, State of Oregon, this 2nd day of September, 1920. i 1

Witnesses F51 v C. A."MA

.L. J. Ro sm I

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